Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Do you think if you stand there and stare long enough, you’ll draw his attention and he’ll come over?” Stephanie asked as she dropped a box of books on the table.
Steven ignored her.
“I’m not doing this inventory on my own, brother dearest.”
“I’ll do it. You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”
“I already said I would.”
“Perfectly capable.” He glared at the B and B rather than her. Not wanting to admit he might have been waiting for a glimpse of Myles, he figured if he ignored her question, she might forget she’d asked it.
“Stevie. Come away from the window.”
“Shut up.” He threw petulance at her like he had toys when they were little.
Just as quick now as she had been then, she caught it and tossed it back. “I’m going to pretend you’re not being a jerk because I know you’re not really mad at me. You’re just grumpy because you can’t mind-control your crush.”
“He’s not my crush.”
“Isn’t he, though?”
“He came here one time.”
“Twice. Don’t forget he rescued you that time.”
“He didn’t rescue me.”
Even without turning, he could sense her eye roll.
“Fine,” he conceded. “Twice. And it’s not like I’m wishing he would come back. He will.”
“So confident.”
“He hasn’t paid for Jet’s LP. He’ll remember and come back.”
“Or.” She left the box and came to lean on him. “You could go over there.”
“Because that’s not stalkery at all.”
“Order food, doofus.”
“And hope for a glimpse of him? What am I, fifteen?”
“Well.” She straightened and grabbed the cuff of his cardigan. “If you’re not obsessed, then come and help me put these books out. They aren’t going to jump onto the shelves under their own power.”
He followed her back to the seating area and dropped into the wingback. “You know, everyone we know has told me, at one time or another, that you are always butting into their business and offering a ton of unsolicited advice.”
She had the decency to wince slightly, but quickly replaced that with a grin. “As I do.”
“Not to me.”
“Sorry?”
“You always give up really fast with me.”
“You don’t need me to tell you what to do here, Stevie.
” She pulled a book from the box and recited title and author for him before wiping it down and putting it on the shelf.
“You like him. If I was a betting person, I would say he likes you. But you can’t get to know him if you stay cooped up here.
I don’t know why you’ve become so… hermit-like.
But you know I don’t like it, and I know I can’t force you to do anything about it until you decide to do it for your own reasons.
” She pulled another book but didn’t read the title, looking over at him instead.
“And I will wait until you’re ready, but also, I will be by your side the minute you want to. You know that, right?”
He gazed at her, seeing the worry she always tried not to show but could never quite hide. “I know.”
“Good.”
For a while, they worked in mostly peace. Steven couldn’t help but anticipate the moment she asked. She always did, and he never had an answer for her.
“Steve—”
“I don’t know, Steph. I still don’t know how long this will last, and I swear if I did, I would tell you.”
“Maybe it’s worth talking to someone about it. You know. Who isn’t me.”
“Probably.”
“Likely.”
“And say what. exactly? I’m afraid to leave my house because it has self-destructive tendencies and I want to keep an eye on it? That definitely doesn’t sound bonkers at all.”
“You read too much into things. It’s just a house.”
“So is the B and B. So is Lucky’s shelter.
Yet no one denies those places have personalities.
You can’t deny the Oaks was Jake’s friend long before Kreed came along.
She protected him. And the barber shop. Don’t even get me started on how much that place has cheered up since Marcus gave it that face lift last summer. ”
“No, I know. Not denying any of that.”
“So if those places can be improved by people living their best lives in them, why can’t a place be sad because it lost its people?”
“You’re basically saying our house is suicidal.”
Steven said nothing, since acknowledging that did sound a little out there, even to him.
“And you don’t think your reluctance to leave has anything to do with you being afraid you’ll lose something else if you do?”
There wasn’t much left for him to lose. Their parents were gone.
Jake had effectively moved out, and Steph was on the cusp of moving too.
Which was good. She should. But what if he was right, and he left, and something happened while he was gone?
What if he lost the house? The shop? Everything that was left of what their parents had tried to build?
She sighed when he didn’t say any of that out loud, and went back to reciting book titles and authors until the box was empty.
“You know I can do this on my own,” he said over the dry crinkle of tape she ripped off the box.
“I don’t have anything better to do.”
“Not even with Bob?”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Just asking.” Not just to deflect the scrutiny away from himself, either, but because he truly was interested in her answer.
“Bob is watching his son play basketball tonight.”
“Well, that’s good. You love basketball.”
She didn’t look at him as she carefully rolled the old tape into a tiny tube. “It’s his kid.”
“Did he not ask you to go with him?”
“He did, actually.”
“And you said no in favour of shelving dusty vintage romance novels with me?” He tilted his head to one side. “Sounds like you’re avoiding something yourself.”
“Max is in college, Steven. How would it look if Bob brought someone to watch the game who’s closer to his son’s age than his?”
“Like he was spending time with someone who makes him happy. And if his kid cares at all about him that’s exactly what he’ll see.”
“You don’t think it would be awkward?”
“I don’t think it has to be. And I don’t think you care about awkward. If you did, you wouldn’t constantly be playing Dear Abby at the B and B.”
“Well”—she held up a hand and started ticking off her fingers—“Lucky needed advice. Tris never had good parental influences to guide him, so naturally.” She curtsied, then went back to ticking off names. “Marcus was just lost, and Myles is Lucky’s friend.”
“So fair game.”
“Exactly.”
“But you still butt into their business and tell them what you think without a thought to how awkward it might seem. So not going to the game with Bob isn’t about awkward. What is it really?”
“Are you seriously about to try and give me romance advice?” Stephanie said, adding a second strip of old tape to her small tube.
“You don’t date, so how could I do that?”
She said nothing.
“He’s nice,” Steven pointed out, as if she didn’t know this. “And he makes you smile. He’s funny and likes the same things you do, which just proves what Mom always said about you being an old soul.”
She grimaced at him. “He’s not old. He’s a lot of fun.”
“Really not seeing the problem.”
“When it’s just me and him, going for hikes, or walking the shelter dogs, or staging one of his houses, or whatever…”
“Easy not to call any of that a date.”
Her gaze met his, near-panic shimmering in the blue. “I don’t want to date him. I just want it to keep being whatever it is. If it’s a date, it might lead… elsewhere.”
“Don’t anticipate him, Steph. Ask him. Or better yet, tell him what you want. And what you don’t want.”
“What if he’s not into someone who doesn’t want to sleep with him?”
“He’s plenty into you. And if he makes a stink about not having sex, he isn’t for you anyway.
Better to find that out now. In all honesty, sis, I don’t think this is going to be a deal-breaker for him.
You’ve never had a dearth of guys propositioning you, whether you like it or not.
You’re stunning. And Bob gets to hang out with you exactly as you want, and he’s never tried it on.
Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt. ”
“You think?”
“I really do.” He shrugged. “Besides, if he turns out to be a horn dog in disguise, you can always become a hermit here with me.”
She threw her tape roll at him, and it unwound as it flew across the room, a pale gold time-worn ribbon of plastic that floated gently to the floor.
He snorted.
“Shut up.” Digging her phone from a pocket of her full skirt, she turned her back to him. “Go down and get another box while I’m still here so I know you don’t fall ass over teakettle down those stupid stairs.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He left her to her texting.
By the time he returned with two more boxes of Harlequins, she had flattened the first box and tidied the row of books they’d already inventoried.
“So?” he asked as he plonked the new boxes down to a cloud of dust.
“So.” She ran her hands down her skirt and bit her lip to hold back an obvious grin. “Game starts in an hour, but he hasn’t left yet.”
“So he has time to swing by for you.”
“He does.”
“Well, then, have a great time.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Positive.”
“Really?”
“I promise, Steph. Go. Have fun. You deserve this.”
“He wants to go to the Hen and Hog to eat after, so you’ll be on your own for supper. Again.”
Even as she said it, there was a knock on the front door of the shop, and she lost her fight to hold back a radiant smile.
“I’ll be fine,” he said again, getting up to follow her to the door.
It wasn’t Bob standing on the porch, however, when Stephanie swung the heavy oak door open.
It was Myles.
“Oh! Hey!” If anything, the grin in her voice was even broader. “Come in.”
“Hi. Sorry.” Myles did step onto the welcome mat, but no farther.
His shoulders lifted, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
“I don’t mean to intrude. I know you’re closed.
I just wanted to pay for an LP Jet and I took home the other day.
” He held out a hand with some twenties. “I can come back if—”
“No, no.” Stephanie grabbed his arm and yanked him into the room. “This is great. I was just going out, so now I don’t have to worry about leaving Stevie here doing inventory all on his own.” She began to peel Myles’s hoodie off his shoulders.